New Mexico animal health officials announced Thursday that a horse in Grant County tested positive for New World screw worm, marking the state’s second confirmed case of the parasite this year. The discovery follows a June finding of the worm in a dog in Lea County.
Local ranchers and officials respond
“To have a screw incident in Grant County, probably at least 100 miles north of the border, that came as a bit of a surprise,” said Tom Paterson, president of the New Mexico Cattle Growers Association. Paterson emphasized that the parasite poses an animal‑welfare issue for both livestock and wildlife.
Santa Teresa crossing set to reopen
The Santa Teresa cattle crossing, the largest U.S.–Mexico border crossing for cattle, is scheduled to reopen this Thursday after being closed for nearly two years due to a prior outbreak in neighboring Mexico. “Santa Teresa is the crown jewel of the cattle crossings,” said Gerardo Fierro, executive director of the New Mexico Border Authority. The crossing typically handles between 3,000 and 3,500 head of cattle daily.
Fierro noted that the combined value of cattle traded at Santa Teresa and the Columbus port last year exceeded $1 billion, and with current high cattle prices, the figure could approach $2 billion.
Preventive actions at the border
To curb the spread of the parasite, the U.S. Department of Agriculture has been releasing weekly shipments of 1.8 million sterile flies at the border. “When the bad flies come, these are already in place, and they can start cutting the cycle,” Fierro explained.
Ranchers remain confident
Despite the new detection, many ranchers are confident that the reopening will not introduce the worm into U.S. herds. “Given the extensive protocols for examining, treating, dipping and vaccinating, those are not the cattle that are going to be bringing New World screw worm into the United States,” Paterson said.
Ranchers also hope that cooler weather patterns will keep the screw worm flies away from livestock. If the process proceeds smoothly, the Columbus crossing is expected to reopen in about a month.
Treatment options
The Food and Drug Administration has authorized the use of ivermectin to treat livestock infected with New World screw worm.
Original reporting: KOAT Albuquerque — read the source article.
